''Overdrive'' is a

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a motor racing, racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more re ...

written by Peter Johnson for the

Acorn Electron The Acorn Electron (nicknamed the Elk inside Acorn and beyond) was introduced as a lower-cost alternative to the BBC Micro educational/home computer, also developed by Acorn Computers, to provide many of the features of that more expensive mach ...

and

BBC Micro The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a family of microcomputers developed and manufactured by Acorn Computers in the early 1980s as part of the BBC's Computer Literacy Project. Launched in December 1981, it was showcased across severa ...

and published in 1984 by

Superior Software Superior Interactive (formerly known as Superior Software Ltd) is a video game publisher. It was one of the main publishers for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers in the 1980s and early 1990s, and occasionally published software to the C ...

Gameplay

The objective of the game is to finish in the top 12 in order to qualify for the next track. There are five different tracks, but because there are no bends, the only difference is the change in scenery (fields, night, snow, desert and riverside scenes) as well as a change in the grip. Points are awarded for the distance travelled as well as a bonus given at the end of each level depending on the number of computer-controlled cars that have been passed. If the player collides with another car, they will explode and respawn. This can happen an infinite number of times, but will give opponents the opportunity to pass while the player slowly accelerates. It is also common for opponents to crash into the back of the player while they are still accelerating, causing another explosion.

Reception

The game was hugely successful, selling almost 40,000 copies across both BBC Micro and Electron versions which was exceptional for that platform. It was Superior Software's biggest seller, out-selling even the individual ''

Repton Repton is a village and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England, located on the edge of the River Trent floodplain, about north of Swadlincote. The population taken at the 2001 census was 2,707, increasing to 2 ...

'' titles. It was especially popular on the

(outselling the BBC version by a ratio of more than 2:1).

Legacy

''Overdrive'' remained the only 3D racing game available for the Electron until 1987 when Superior released the motorbike racer '' Crazee Rider'', a game originally conceived as a follow-up to ''Overdrive''. This game included bends, demonstrating that it would have been possible, but the fact it took so long for another such game to be released shows what a technical achievement converting ''Overdrive'' for the Electron had been. ''Overdrive'' was also included on the ''Superior Collection'' compilations (vol. 2 on the BBC, vol. 3 on the Electron) released in March of the same year.

References

External links

* {{Superior Software 1984 video games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron-only games Europe-exclusive video games Racing video games Superior Software games Video games developed in the United Kingdom Single-player video games